This invention relates generally to furniture, and in particular to pieces of furniture that support electrical or electronic equipment, such as plasma screen or flat screen television sets, computer monitors, and other devices.
As technology has advanced, more and more television sets and computer monitors are being manufactured that are substantially thinner than prior television sets and computer monitors. Such thin screen technology includes plasma screen televisions, flat screen displays for both computers and televisions, as well as other technologies. As these technologies have become more prevalent, the need for furniture specifically adapted to support these thin screen media has grown. Existing furniture has generally been ill suited to support these thin screen media because of the very thinness of the media.
For example, plasma screen televisions may have a thickness of only several inches but a height and width of several feet. This shape makes these screens very prone to tipping if they are not properly secured. Prior art television display cabinets often do not have the means to prevent such tipping, and also tend to have shelf depths that are far greater than is necessary to accommodate plasma screen televisions. Furthermore, the height and width of plasma screen televisions is generally greater than that of standard television sets. This further renders prior art television cabinets incapable of supporting plasma screen televisions.
Apart from the inability of prior art furniture to easily accommodate thin display media, prior art furniture has also suffered from further disadvantages. Specifically, prior art furniture that is designed to support electrical or electronic equipment has generally been poor at facilitating the installation and any modifications that are made to the equipment supported on the furniture. As one example, prior art television stands generally include a back wall with one or more relatively small holes through which various cords associated with the television are threaded. These cords typically include at least a power cord and a cord for communicating with a VCR or DVD player, or other device supported on the stand. When installing these and other electronic devices on the stand, the cords often have to be threaded through these holes while the stand is positioned up against a wall. This substantially prevents access to the rear of the stand and makes the installation or modification of the cord connections difficult. Further, after the stand has been set up in its desired location, gaining access to power outlets or communications ports located behind the television stand is exceedingly difficult. The need can therefore be seen for a type of furniture that overcomes these difficulties and allows easy set-up and modification of electronic components and their wire connections. The need can also be seen for a type of furniture that can accommodate thin display media.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a new type of furniture referred to herein as a media wall. The media wall is specially adapted to facilitate the installation and set-up of electronic components, as well as any changes made to either the electrical components or the wires connected to the components. The media wall is also specially adapted to support thin display media. The media wall further allows easy access to be obtained to power and other types of communication ports. Still further, the media wall accomplishes all of these functions in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
A media wall according to one aspect of the present invention includes an upright vertical wall having a front face and a back face. At least one aperture is defined in the wall and is adapted to allow at least one cable to extend from the front face to the back face of the wall. A support is also provided and is adapted to be affixed to a stationary structure. A hinge is attached to the support and the wall, and allows the wall to pivot about a vertical axis.
A media wall according to another aspect of the present invention includes an upright vertical wall with a front and back face. At least one shelf is attached to, and extends forwardly from, the upright wall. A support is provided and adapted to be fixed to a stationary structure. A hinge is attached to the support and the wall and is arranged to allow the wall to pivot about a vertical axis.
A media wall according to still another aspect of the present invention includes an upright, vertical wall having a front and back face. A pair of sidewalls are attached to the back face of the upright wall. At least one shelf is attached to the front face of the wall and extends forwardly therefrom. A support is affixed to the wall and is adapted to be attached to a stationary structure such that the support secures the wall in a fixed position when the support is affixed to a stationary structure.
In still other aspects of the invention, the media wall may include an adjustable video camera support mounted on the front face of the wall. One or more drawers may also be included on the wall for storage. A conduit, such as a cable trough or other structure, may be provided on the back face of the wall for holding any cable(s) used to operate the electronic equipment supported on the media wall. The sidewalls may also include data, telephone, and power ports to allow other electrical devices to both draw power through the media wall and to communicate with the electrical devices supported on the media wall. The shelf may include a pivotable panel disposed at the rear end of the shelf which pivots to allow greater access between the front and back faces of the media wall.
The media wall of the present invention provides a convenient and aesthetically pleasing structure for supporting thin display media, as well as video cameras and other related electronic devices. The media wall conceals the electrical cabling necessary to operate such equipment while still allowing easy access to such equipment for maintenance and modification purposes. The media wall provides these advantages while taking up only a minimum amount of space. These and other benefits of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art in light of the following specification when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.